Outages worsen amid equipment shortages, staff go-slow
According to residents, electricity was first lost on June 25 in parts of Waterkloof Ridge Ext 2, particularly along Aquila Avenue.
While power was eventually restored earlier this month, frustrations continue to mount over what residents describe as a sluggish and inefficient repair process.
The metro explained that the complexity of the fault made it more difficult for technicians to locate the problem, which led to the extended power outage in the area.
Ward 42 Councillor Shane Maas, who actively escalated the issue on behalf of affected residents, said the delay was worsened by the metro depot not having the proper equipment to locate the damaged cable.
He explained that the depot lacked a diagnostic tool known as a 'mega' and had to borrow it from another depot before repairs could move forward.
Maas confirmed this detail after engaging with both metro staff and concerned residents. 'I escalated it daily from the second day up until it was eventually fixed,' he said.
He also pointed out that this was not an isolated case.
'There's currently another resident with a similar issue who hasn't had power for 27 days. Technicians came, identified a cable fault, and then left. It appears they now need a mega again to locate the fault. The cycle just repeats.'
Maas said the average turnaround time for electrical faults has worsened significantly and is now around three days, although in some cases, residents are being left without electricity for several weeks.
He noted that councillors are often expected to act as operational managers, despite having no authority over metro departments.
'Residents think I have a team of electricians or a budget to control. But all I can do is keep pushing department managers and hope someone finally takes action.'
He added that the situation is further complicated by a go-slow protest by metro staff in response to overtime compensation disputes.
'They're not responding with urgency or using proper fault-finding techniques. That also frustrates us as councillors and frustrates residents too.'
According to Maas, residents do not know the limits of a ward councillor's role.
'They assume we have all the power, but we don't. We make submissions to the IDP [Integrated Development Plan] and vote on the budget in council. That's where it ends.'
Tshwane metro spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, confirmed that the outage was caused by multiple cable faults.
'Due to the complexity of the fault, it took longer than usual for the team to locate and repair it,' said Mashigo.
He confirmed that once the fault was identified, power was restored in the area.
Mashigo added that the outage was linked to fibre installation work that had damaged power infrastructure.
According to Mashigo, the metro has strengthened its due diligence processes to ensure that contractors comply with regulations when installing such infrastructure.
He also stated that the metro continues to communicate service interruptions through its official platforms and encouraged residents to report faults online or through the city's customer care line.
'Residents are encouraged to report complaints through our Customer Care Centre or online, and also through their ward councillors for escalation.'
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.
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